The new date is Dec 23, 2021.
Kim Potter was found guilty of manslaughter for shooting and killing 20-year-old Daunte Wright during a traffic stop in April.
In this screen grab from video, former Brooklyn Center Police Officer Kim Potter testifies in court. In the Pool, via Court TV.
The Associated Press.
Potter was found guilty of first- and second-degree manslaughter after three days of deliberations.
Prosecutors argued that Potter was negligent and acted recklessly, despite the fact that the shooting was an accident.
The defense attorneys argued that Potter made a mistake and that Wright caused his own death by trying to flee the traffic stop.
Potter broke down in tears during her testimony last week, saying that the traffic stop went chaotic when officers decided to take Wright into custody on a warrant.
Wright was pulled over for expired tags and an air-freshener hanging from the vehicle's rear view mirror while Potter was training a new officer. Potter testified that she probably wouldn't have pulled Wright over if she hadn't trained another officer that day because many drivers were late on renewing their tags due to the Pandemic. Wright, a black man, was arrested on an outstanding warrant after the officers stopped him. Potter shouted "tatser!" as Wright pulled away from officers and struggled to return to his car. The taser! She fired her service weapon. Wright died on the scene. Potter said she grabbed the wrong gun, before falling to the ground and shouting, "I'm going to prison." She left the force two days later.
The trial of a former Minneapolis police officer for the murder of George Floyd was in progress when the shooting occurred. Brooklyn Center is about 10 miles north of Minneapolis. In the summer of 2020, protests over racism and police brutality took place nationwide. Chauvin was sentenced to 22 and a half years in prison after being found guilty of murder. Chauvin changed his plea from not guilty to guilty as part of a plea deal.
What to watch for.
The maximum sentence for first-degree manslaughter in Minnesota is 15 years in prison and a fine of $30,000. The New York Times reports that the average sentence for someone without a criminal record is seven years. Potter is likely to face about four years in prison and a fine of up to $20,000 for second-degree manslaughter, according to the Times.
The New York Times reported on key moments in the trial.
There were mixed reactions to Kim Potter testifying.
